Funny-Looking but Promising
As for the exterior design, well, we haven't seen a design palindrome like this since the original Volkswagen Beetle. But to some of us, the i MiEV looks less like a bug than a demonically possessed gerbil. With weapons, no less: Those three-spoke Ginsu-knife-inspired wheels look like they could slice up a Prius like a cucumber. But electric cars have historically struggled in the U.S., so even if Mitsubishi finally does build one (this is Mitsubishi's third iteration of the MiEV concept), whether it would make it over here is anyone's guess.
But with the Smart Fortwo city car being introduced in the U.S. now, and plug-in hybrids such as the Chevrolet Volt due by the end of the decade, it would behoove Mitsubishi to get ahead of the game for a change and make Toyota and Honda work for their "greenbacks."